Taking note of the day

Thursday

Dec 23, 2010 at 2:00 AM

Tomorrow is a notable day.

Tomorrow is a notable day.

For Christians, it's a remembrance of the night, according to the Bible, when Mary and Joseph of Nazareth traveled to Bethlehem as citizens and left the city as saints, having given birth to a boy whom billions around the world would worship as a savior.

Of course, not all of us believe in the story of Jesus, but Christmas has become indelible in the secular world as well, with parties and presents making things merry, and commercialism, crowds and stress making for a season that's not so bright.

Whatever your beliefs and however you view the season, tomorrow is a notable day.

It can be, at least.

For it can be a day when forgiveness reigns. When we can try to look at our adversaries as people, not just as the ideas they hold. We can learn to respectfully disagree. We can grant atonement to those around us who seek redemption for the words or deeds against us. We can let go of the pain of insult or injury and choose to forgive, starting tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a day to appreciate our surroundings. The wind and the waves and the dunes that surround us are hard to miss, but the lime-green lichen climbing the pine bark and the fluttering winter moths are often overlooked or met with annoyance.

The details of our natural world beg for a moment of time tomorrow. The fleeting life-cycle of nature may wipe the minutia away without notice, if no one pauses to recognize its beauty.

And it's not just nature that begs for reflection: the rhythmic ticking of the clock, that first sip of morning coffee and the unique smell of your own home bear noting, as well. Tomorrow is a day to appreciate all that surrounds you.

It's a day when we can look at every child born — whether wrought into poverty or affluence, family harmony or discord — as a gift to be treasured. Each is a sapling to be decorated and nurtured, watered with the kindness every person possesses, but sometimes fails to use. Taught to not only be smart, but compassionate in a world that too often prizes competitiveness over more noble qualities. Tomorrow is a day to act as an example of how an adult should live in this world.

Tomorrow is December 24.

Whether you view Jesus Christ as a messiah, man or myth, the example of his story — forgiveness, appreciation, life and love — are worth reflecting on. And they are certainly worth practicing.

Some will celebrate these lessons for one day, starting tomorrow. The challenge for all of us is to live these lessons — every day.

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